


Diagnosis

by CastielFollowMe



Series: Single Dad Shiro Verse [19]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Autism, Autism Spectrum, Doctors & Physicians, Fluff, Gen, Keith is diagnosed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 19:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13014774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CastielFollowMe/pseuds/CastielFollowMe
Summary: Keith is diagnosed as Autistic and Shiro learns what that means.





	Diagnosis

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Prompt: could you write about how and when Keith was first diagnosed with autism?"

Keith was a happy young kid.

              At least, Shiro was pretty sure that Keith was a happy kid. Sometimes it was hard to tell, and other times Shiro could read the happy smile off Keith like a book. However, he’d never given much thought to some of the differences in Keith’s personality to other kids his age.

              Like how it had taken Keith four years to say one word. Or how he avoided direct contact since the day that Shiro had brought him home. There were also times where Keith didn’t know what to do with his hands and would sometimes tug on his hair when he was upset or wave them around when he was excited.

              Bad jokes weren’t allowed in Shiro’s house, especially after the incident where Shiro’s father accidentally made Keith believe that Shiro wasn’t coming home anymore. Most jokes had to be explained to Keith, along with directly telling him when a person was angry or upset or happy.

              Still, it never bothered Shiro, until a doctor’s visit.

              It was a standard check-up for the four-year-old at Keith’s standard pediatrician. He’d cried and practically screamed during his shot. He’d thrown a fit when the doctor tried to look in his ears and throat. He’d laughed when the doctor booped his nose and knees. Overall, there was nothing out of the ordinary, other than Keith actually speaking this time.

              Towards the end of the appointment, while Keith was picking out which Band-Aid he wanted for his arm, the doctor had pulled Shiro aside.

              “I hear Keith is finally speaking.” She smiled, causing Shiro to grin.

              “Yeah! He started a couple months back after I got back from a…trip. Since then he’s been saying more and more words every day. It’s not a lot yet but it’s something!” Shiro stated happily, glancing in the room and waving at Keith. Keith beamed while the nurse put the Band-Aid on his arm before being distracted by more Band-Aids.

              “That’s excellent Shiro! I was a bit concerned he would remain non-verbal for many more years but this is a tremendous step for him.” The doctor replied. Shiro blinked, confused by her choice of words, but found himself nodding along. It really was tremendous and Shiro was extremely proud of his little boy.

              “Ah, yeah. Why would you be concerned?” Shiro finally asked, lowering his voice. He didn’t want Keith to hear any of this discussion, in case it took an unexpected turn.

              “Mostly because I’ve seen many cases similar to Keith where children haven’t become verbal until much later in life. It’s not a bad thing but it can hinder things such as learning and going to school at the appropriate age.” The doctor explained softly. Shiro swallowed. “However, if Keith’s speech continues to improve then I see no need for you to stall his learning experience at school next year.”

              “Dr. Karen,” Shiro hesitated as he bit his lip. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

              The doctor was quiet for a minute, hands in her pocket, before sighing. “Shiro, have you ever heard of the term, autism? Or the autism spectrum?” She asked, eyes lingering on Keith. Shiro stared at his son, chest suddenly feeling heavy before nodding slowly.

              “I’ve heard the word, but I’m afraid I don’t know much about it.” Shiro admitted softly.

              “Medically speaking, autism is a variable developmental disorder that is characterized by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, and the impairment to communicate with others, and is often associated by repetitive behavior patterns.” Dr. Karen explained quietly. Shiro felt his head spinning at all of the medical terminologies in her explanation and he was beginning to feel a bit dumbed down, only for the doctor to smile at him.

              “Autism is not an illness or a “condition” as some people may call it,” Dr. Karen stated firmly. “There’s no reason to explain how and why it happens. It’s not usually genetic or caused in any way. Autism really is a disorder that can affect a person’s development in social means and communication. It varies by person or child. Some autistic children can communicate, as you and I would and appear to easily make an abundance of social relationships. Others find it extremely difficult to understand social behaviors or express themselves properly. Neither is better than the other and by no means does it make your child more “normal.”” She continued, while Shiro remained staring at his son.

              “Do you believe Keith to be autistic?” Shiro finally asked.

              Dr. Karen smiled softly. “Unfortunately, I am not trained to properly diagnose Keith. I can only say that I see similar traits in Keith with other children that we have diagnosed, but for a proper diagnosis I can refer you to one of our child psychologists and doctors at the children’s hospital.”

              Shiro licked his lips. “Would Keith really need a diagnosis? If he’s doing so well?”

              “Shiro,” Dr. Karen began. “I know you’re not this type of parent and it’s going to take time, but leaving a child undiagnosed can be harmful later in life. With a proper diagnosis, we can start to help Keith where he needs it and it can become helpful during Keith’s academic career should he need help or any adjustments at his schools. For example, Keith’s speech is improving but he can also receive help to further improve his speech or provide alternatives for Keith to communicate should he feel that he can’t express himself verbally. This isn’t only to help Keith, but also for you as his parent. Keith is already processing things differently and that’s perfectly fine, however, you might not be used to it and could find yourself unable to help Keith when he needs you.”

              Now Shiro was really feeling overwhelmed. Not because of Keith’s possible diagnosis but rather at the idea of  _not_  being able to help his son. Shiro never wanted to feel helpless when it came to his son. He always wanted to make sure Keith had everything he needed to succeed and that included having Shiro’s help 100% of the time.

              “I know this might be a lot to take in, but first and foremost there is nothing  _wrong_  with your son.”

              “Of course not! Keith is perfect.” Shiro argued instantly, forgetting his insecurities. Dr. Karen couldn’t help but smile proudly at Shiro. _Keith was in perfect hands with Shiro._

              “Alright, let’s schedule an appointment for Keith…”

x.V.x

              “Was the doctor fun?” Shiro asked as he was finally allowed back into the rooms where Keith was. He was amazed by all of the games, puzzles, and equipment that was back here. It didn’t look much like a scary doctor office and Shiro was already feeling better about his decision to come.

              “Yeah. Dr. Leo nice. We play puzzles and there was an obstacle course and I draw pictures when he asked me stuff.” Keith nodded absently as he continued drawing. He was kneeling at a table with the man, Dr. Leo, sitting beside him. Shiro could already see several pages of notes all over his notepad and he desperately tried not to peek at them like a cheating school kid. Taking a deep breath, Shiro knelt down beside Keith and opposite of Dr. Leo.

              “Hello there, I’m Dr. Leo as you’re well aware.” The doctor reached over to shake his hand.

              “Takashi Shirogane but everyone calls me Shiro.” Shiro greeted with a soft smile. The doctor beamed at him and nodded.

              “Alright, so I’m going to just go over my notes with you right now. Keith should stay so he can hear too and understand what’s being said.” Dr. Leo nodded towards Keith who was still drawing. Shiro bit his lip, worried that Keith wasn’t going to listen. Typically, when drawing Keith didn’t listen to anyone but Shiro, and even then, sometimes he ignored Shiro.

              “Alright now Keith, it’s time to stop drawing and look up at your dad and I as we talk.” Dr. Leo smiled over at Keith. However, Keith made no effort that he had heard Dr. Leo and continued to draw. Shiro swallowed.

              However, Dr. Leo never stopped smiling and didn’t get frustrated with Keith as Shiro had feared. Instead, he began to put away the crayons spread all over the table and the other stacks of paper. Keith continued to draw all throughout this before putting down his crayon. Quickly, Dr. Leo put that one away when Keith reached across the table only for his hand to grab at nothing. Blinking with a frown, he looked up from his drawing to see the crayons were all gone.

              “Hey Keith, remember what we talked about when someone is talking to you?” Dr. Leo said gently. Keith blinked, looking away and huffed. “We look at people when they’re talking and when they ask you to do something we do it? Right?”

              Keith continued to huff for another five minutes before he gently pushed his drawing towards Dr. Leo and the rest of the paper. He turned to look at his dad and Shiro was shocked.

              “Great job Keith! That was perfect!” Dr. Leo praised, nodding at Shiro to do the same.

              “Yeah, sweetheart! You did great!” Shiro quietly cheered, earning a grin from Keith. Slowly, Keith crawled over into Shiro’s lap turning to face Dr. Leo, but his eyes wandered around the room.

              “Thank you, Keith.” Dr. Leo said before turning his attention to Shiro. “Now, Shiro, I want you to understand that we are not here to talk about curing or treatments but we are here to talk about Keith’s future and what this means for you and him especially.”

              Silently, Shiro nodded.

              “Alright, Keith?” Shiro looked down to see Keith’s eyes flicker towards Dr. Leo and staying focused on him for a couple of seconds before looking away. Every few seconds he would look back at Dr. Leo before looking away. “Do you understand what the word autistic means?”

              Quietly, Keith shook his head against Shiro’s chest several more times than necessary.

              “Autism is a medical term for a developmental disorder. That means that some people have trouble learning and expressing certain things. Do you understand that?” Dr. Leo began slowly. Keith blinked at the ceiling before nodding.

              “Um, hard to speak sometimes? Or get jokes?” Keith mumbled quietly. Dr. Leo smiled brightly and nodded.

              “For some autistic people that is very true! Do you have trouble speaking sometimes or getting jokes?”

              Keith merely nodded without an explanation.

              “Not every person that is autistic has these troubles and sometimes they have other troubles that your dad or I don’t have. However, this simply means that we all process thoughts and ideas differently.”

              “Is it bad?” Keith whispered, causing Shiro’s heart to break in his chest. Gently he pulled Keith up into a hug and shook his head.

              “Oh sweetheart, no. There is nothing bad about being autistic! It’s a part of who you are. You think about things differently than I do, and sometimes it’s harder for you to understand but that is never bad!” Keith blinked owlishly up at Shiro finally looking him in the eyes and Shiro smiled.

              “Your dad is right Keith.” Dr. Leo began.

              “Daddy.” Keith interrupted. “It’s daddy.”

              Dr. Leo smiled when many others would have gotten mad at the interruption. “Your daddy is right. There is nothing bad about being autistic. However, it does mean that you might have to do certain things in order to help yourself. Such as speaking. You say that it’s hard for you to speak; do you feel like not speaking at all sometimes?”

              Quietly Keith nodded.

              “And even though you know the right words and what to say, you still don’t want to speak?”

              Again Keith nodded.

              “That’s perfectly fine Keith! There are other ways to speak without having to say anything out loud.” Dr. Leo explained. Keith’s eyes darted over to him before looking away again. “Have you ever heard of sign language?”

              Slowly, Keith shook his head.

              “Sign language is a way to talk using your hands! See you move your hands into a specific pattern or shape in order to say a word or a letter. We understand what you are trying to say as you move your hands into different shapes and that is how you communicate without having to speak at all!” Dr. Leo said happily, while Keith perked up in Shiro’s lap. “Sign language would be excellent for you and your daddy to learn.”

              “You could teach me?” Shiro asked softly.

              “Of course!”

              Keith was staring up at his dad once more with bright eyes and Shiro couldn’t help but melt under his son’s gaze.

              “I’d really like that. And anything else you can help me in order to help Keith.” Shiro said with appreciation. Keith nodded absentmindedly in his lap and gave Shiro several pats on the cheek, signifying his joy. Dr. Leo smiled at the sight and nodded.

              “Of course. Now Keith,” Dr. Leo said before pausing until Keith had looked at him for another second. “You are autistic and there is nothing wrong with that.”

              “Nothing at all sweetheart. You are always my little star.” Shiro added with a grin.

              “I,” Keith began hesitantly. “I am autistic. And,” He licked his lips before running his hand up and down Shiro’s shirt. “And there’s no bad.”    

              “No bad ever,” Shiro replied. Keith nodded more firmly this time.

              “Excellent!” Dr. Leo clapped and Shiro chuckled when Keith frowned in disappointment at the man’s excitement. “Now Shiro, Keith’s biggest struggles seem to be in understand social clues and comprehending social…”

              As Shiro looked down at Keith, he found that nothing about his love had changed for Keith. Keith was his son and he always would be. And Shiro was going to be there for Keith for the rest of his life.          

              No matter what.


End file.
